The helicopter is designed to carry out patrol missions, provide fire support for amphibious assaults and deal with anti-amphibious assault defense

ARSENYEV (Primorye Territory), May 5. /TASS/. Egypt is expected to decide this month on the purchase of Russia’s deck-based Kamov Ka-52K helicopters for Mistral-type amphibious assault ships, Russian Helicopters Group CEO Andrei Boginsky said on Friday.

"The tender procedure is at the final stage. I believe that we’ll learn about the result of this tender during May. Of course, we understand that our hardware is better than its foreign rivals by performance characteristics," Boginsky said in reply to the relevant question.

Given that the tender yields a positive result for the Russian side with its shipborne Ka-52K helicopters, Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport will start negotiating the price of the deal in late May 2017, he said.

Ka-52K helicopter

The Ka-52K is based on a range of shipborne rotocraft accepted by the Russian Navy for service. This range includes Ka-25, Ka-27, Ka-29 and Ka-31 helicopters.

The helicopter is designed to carry out patrol missions, provide fire support for amphibious assaults and deal with anti-amphibious assault defense at the forefront and in tactical depth.

The KA-52K differs from the baseline version by its shortened folding wing specifically developed for carrying heavy armament and the mechanism of folding rotor blades allowing it to compactly fit into a ship’s compartment below the deck.

The Ka-52 shipborne versions’ reduced sizes allow increasing the number of these choppers aboard a ship. The crew’s armored cabin and the catapult system allow pilots to safely leave the helicopter. The helicopter’s shipborne version also features a rescue system for people in distress at sea.